The Lotus of the Nile
by Little Sweet Romanian Girl
Summary: Cleopatra Cleo Williams is an ordinary teenager, whose father is a famous historian. Her mother died when she was ten, in an accident, in Egypt. She lives a fairly normal life, until her father gets involved with the Avengers. THIS TAKES PLACE DURING AND AFTER THE AVENGERS MOVIE, BUT IN THIS UNIVERSE jANE AND THOR ARE JUST FIRNDS. Hope you enjoy the story!
1. Chapter 1

Prologue ( 30 B.C. - Ancient Egypt)

A young woman, probably in her early twenties, was scanning the desert with a scrutinizing glare. Her eyes landed on the ancient stone God, her stare softening. She gave a small smile and turned around to her approaching lover, a fifty two year old man.

He stopped near the woman admiring the God.  
"She's beautiful...magnificent!" he said

"No one knows who made her or why." her soft voice answered his unspoken question

"She's a mistery then...just like you." he leaned closer giving her a soft kiss on the lips. She smiled at him then turned her eyes back to the mistery at hand.  
"She's been here for centuries, she softly spoke to him ,guarding the tombs of the great kings."  
"The great dead kings of Egypt...so in the end it's all in vain...The Valley of the Dead...everything..." his gaze was fixed on the ground, ignoring everything surrounding him.

She turned around, facing the God, and made her way closer to it. Then, suddenly, she stopped. Her eyes scanned the sky, landing on a small, sollitary star. She watched it for a few moments, her lips slowly forming a beautiful, but sad smile.

"My love...only Gods live forever."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter I: It all began with a phone call...

(4 may, 2012, Cairo Egypt)

"Come on ,Arsinoe! Don't think you get to sleep all day just because you're a cat!" (Note: Arsinoe is the sister of queen Cleopatra, but in this story she is Cleo's cat. ) a young woman about twenty years old was carrying a large box, yelling with all her might at a black cat. She placed the box down in museum room dedicated to Ancient Egypt.

"Please, Arsinoe! Help me!"

"MEOW!"

"Yeah...like you are going to be of any help. Atleast get out of the way. Dad just brought back these artefacts from tomb KV51 and I have to help him set up the exposition until Tuesday." She turned her back to the feline companion and started unpacking the new artefacts, placing them accordingly, by age and size.

"Cleo! Cleo! Cleo!" a desperate voice echoed through the museum halls

"Coming, dad! You'd better not make a mess until I get back, Arsinoe!" Cleo started running full speed towards her father's office.

"Ah...so you're here, her dad said upon her arrival, look...I'm not going to bother you much. I just wanted you to have this." he placed a small wooden box in Cleo's hands.

"I found it this morning in the tomb.I thought you might like it, besides your mom had one." Cleo smilled up at her father,then, slowly turned her attention towards the small box. She carefully opened it, as not to damage the thing inside, and there it was. A small golden Ankh looking up at her, the Egyptian symbol of life. She picked it up and slowly tied it around her neck, tracing her fingers along the delicate lines of tha small treasure, now belonging to her. But then a strange thought crossed her mind.

"Dad, did you find it in tomb KV51?"

"Yeah...Akhenaton's tomb. Why?"  
"I...um...heard a story once that if you break an Ankh you are going to die whithin 24 hours..."

"Well...then you'd better take good care of it."

"Yeah...very funny dad." Just then the phone started ringing.

"Damn...I can't reach it now. Cleo, could you ,please, get it for me?"

"Yeah...Hello, National History Museum, Mr. Williams' Office. How can I help you?"

"I would like to talk with Mr. Williams. It is quite urgent."

"Could you give me your name, please?"

"Phill Coulson. I've known Mr. Williams for a while. He knows me."

"OK. Thank you. Just a moment." She gave the phone to her father leaving him to his conversation and making her way back to the Egyptian exposition, all the while playing nervously with her new necklace.

She went back to unpacking and arranging so by the time her dad finished his conversation, the exposition was complete. Just then her father walked into the room, with an excited look on his face.

"Pack your bags. We are leaving for New York tomorrow!"

"What? Why?" she stared wide eyed at him, not believing her ears.

"It's hard to explain... let's just say that..."

"Dad! I'm not a child anymore! Tell me the truth! Why are we leaving? Does it have something to do with that phone call, she yelled at him, hurt and anger written all over her face, ever since mom died you have locked me in a cage! I deserve to know!"

"Fine... you are right. You deserve to know. The man that called me earlier was Agent Phill Coulson. We've known each other since high school and we've been friends ever since. He's working for a secret organisation called S.I.E.L.D. They protect us from dangerous creatures that we are not able to fight on our own. Recentlly the Cosmic Cube, also known as the Tesseract, has been stolen by Loki, an Asgardian God..."

" A GOD?"

"Yes, Cleo, a god. Please, let me finish. They are now assembling a team of superheroes to try and bring back the cube. I know you are afraid and confussed, but you are a strong, just like your mother."

" Thank you, dad, for believing in me, but I still have one more question. Why are we going?"

"They need a historian to help them with the cube and I don't have the heart to leave you here on your own, so you're coming with me. I know it's all hard to digest and I also know you've never left Egypt and you've never had many friends because I wanted you to be home schooled, but this time it's not only about you, me and a mummy. It's about humanity and I need you to be strong. OK?"

"I'll try, dad."

"That's what I wanted to hear. Good night. I'll see you tomorrow." And with that he left, leaving Cleo all to herself. She slowly gathered her belongings and closed the exposition making her way to her room. Once inside, all alone in that emptiness with only Arsinoe to keep her company, she broke into tears. This was too much pressure to put on anyone and she felt like she was going over the edge. All that she knew was now proven to be wrong. A GOD? She couldn't believe it. She was an atheist, but even still...she doubted that Gods would ever associate with humans. Gods are immortal. Humans aren't.

" Oh, Arsinoe! How could this be?" and like that she slowly fell asleep on the cold floor, one hand wrapped around Arsinoe, the other holding onto the Ankh for dear life, and her tears slowly drying. And in the numbness of that cold insanity she felt a tingle of warmth warming her hand.

* * *

A beautiful young woman was staring with curious eyes at a statue of a goddess with dark hair and an elegant hair accesory, which looked like a sun being held by two thin horns.

"Olympus, who is this woman?" her soft voice filled with curiosity asked the philosoph

"This, my queen, is the goddess of love, Hathor."

The woman turned around facing the man. Her long black hair was falling freely around her shoulders,reaching her lower back; it was adorned with golden jewelry and a golden crown simillar to that of Hatthor, her eyes, the image of the Nile, were slowly,but intently boring into those of the man. She was dresses in a flowing, loose, green dress; her figure visible through the material, long, thin legs, a tiny waist, perfectly round breasts and small shoulders. She was trully a sight to the sore eye.

"Give me the tools for the ritual and then leave."

"Yes, my queen." her small, delicate hands took the lotus flowers and with her magnificent voice she started calling on the goddess. Just as the ceremony was complete, the woman turned around, the statue long gone, to find the goddess staring at her.

* * *

The next day, Cleo woke up on the floor, but strangelly enough, she was not cold. She shook her head,grabbed her bags, Arsinoe, and left the only place she ever knew in her life.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter II: A baeutiful thing is never perfect.

(**This chapter will have a minor time skip. Cleo and her father arrive on the Avengers' battleship after Loki's ****imprisonment and Thor's arrival.)**

Cleo's flight went smoothly. Well, as smoothly as it can be when you're hiding a cat in a backpack, without your father knowing, or anyone else for that matter. When they arrived in the states, a huge black helicopter was waiting for them. Cleo was feeling slightly uncomfortable. Everything was so hard to digest. And on top of all, last night's dream was still bugging her. And the Ankh wasn't really helping. Every time she put her hand on it, she felt as if she's burning up. Maybe, she was simply confussed. Reality was kicking in and she was simply afraid.

The helicopter ride felt like an eternity to Cleo, when actually it only lasted 15 minutes. She was feeling a bit sick to the stomach, not to mention that Arsinoe started moving and making strange sounds which in the end led to her being caught by her father. But, oh well, the damage was done. She couldn't send Arsinoe back home, so she was allowed to keep her. When they landed, her father started talking to a man dresses in a suit who introduced himself as agent Coulson, the man she talked to back home. The two man walked in front of her disscusing the recent events. She walked a bit slower behind them, holding Arsinoe in her arms, her headphones at full volume. She was listening to "Welcome to my life" by Simple Plan. It was her favourite song and sometimes it helped her relax and forget about her problems.

As they approached a set of double doors she paused her music and stuffed the headphones into her backpack. The door opened, revealing a large room. It was like nothing Cleo had ever seen before. It was huge, there was a lower half and an upper half to it ,in the lower half of the room there were atleast fifty computers with people working on them, and on the upper half there was a platform with another three monitors and a huge round table with seven people standing around it. Cleo was a bit nervous and as a result of her habbits she grabbed the Ankh. The feeling of it's warmth made her feel better, but suddenly her vision blurred and she no longer found herself in the large room of the battleship.

* * *

"Hathor, Goddess of Love, I need your help!" the beautiful woman begged the goddes

"How can I be of assistance, mortal?" the goddess asked a little bored

"Hathor, I want a man to fall in love with me...Is there an art to it?"

"To what, human?"

"To making love." The mortal woman was starting to intrigue the goddess of love.

"Ah...yes, men like to be touched, but every man is different..."

"This man is a conqueror."

"Hmmm, such a man is easy to take to bed, however it is hard to mantain his interest. You must make him feel like there is more to conquer every time you are with him. Now, mortal I've answered your question. I have one of my own. Do you love this man you speak of?"

"No...but I love my country. And for the sake of Egypt, I shall pretend to love him, so I can easily destroy him afterwards."

"Hmmm...I see, then this is not passion of the ages."

"No, goddess, I'm sorry to dissapoint you."

"It does not matter anymore. I shall return. Farewell in your quest, mortal."

"Farewell, goddess." and so the woman turned around with a cryptic smile plastered on her delicate

face. An evil revenge plan already set in motion. But her thoughts were soon interupted by Olympus.

"My queen, the caravan is ready to escort you to Alexandria!"

* * *

"Cleo! Cleo! Cleopatra Alexandra Williams!" Her father's voice just brought her back to reality. She turned around facing seven pairs of eyes which were watching her, some with annoyance, others with curiosity, but that was by far not the worst thing. The worst thing was that her father used her full name, which he did only when he was angry.

"So, Cleo, it seems that what Mr. Furry was saying didn't really interest you." her father continued scolding her.

"But, dad, I was paying attention, but...but..." Cleo was at a loss of words. How could she possibly explain that she would have paid attention, if she wasn't having a strange vision about ancient Egypt. Everyone would think her crazy if she tried to tell her father that.

"Dad,I'm sorry. I wasn't paying attention." Defeat felt worse when you experiment it on your skin, than when you are seeing it on TV.

"Well, then, if your daughter is with us now. I will reintroduce myself. Cleopatra Williams, I am director Nick Furry and I am glad to have you here."

"Thank you, Mr. Furry."

"My name is Natasha Romanoff, also known as the Black Widow." a tall woman with short, red hair

spoke next. "This is Dr. Bruce Banner, she pointed to a tall man, dressed in a blue shirt and a pair of trousers;

he had dark hair and a friendly expresion, and this is Steve Rogers, also known as Captain America."

"Miss!" saluted a tall, muscular man with blond hair and blue eyes. He is handsome, thought Cleo, but surelly not may type.

"And I am Tony Stark, volatille, self-centered, billionaire and the most handsome man in the world.  
No need to be amazed, hun." Spoke a short man, with dark hair, dressed in a pair of jeans and a Black Sabbath shirt. He gave an air of arrogance and superiority.

"Nice to meet you, Tony Stark, but I have to say that I'm not amazed at all. A beautiful thing is never perfect and vice versa." the smug expression on his face changed to one of amazement.

"I'm delighted to meet you, fair lady Cleopatra! My name is Thor, God of Thunder." his voice was like the flow of the Nile, perfect, smooth, but also powerfull and masculine. Perfect for a God. He was taller than any man she ever saw in her life, and way better built. His long blond hair complimented his blue eyes perfectly.

Cleo was mesmerized by this man. He was perfect. The Ankh around her neck started to warm up and blurr her vision again, but this time she fought it. She had to stay awake.

"Nice to meet you too, Thor."

"So now that we know each other, there is much to do and the time is short."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter III: Your body is your own temple of knowledge...

Cleo's POV:

While Director Furry was filling dad in on the subject, I was allowed to roam around the ship, my mind concentrated on Thor all the while, not even Arsionoe could bring me back to reality. Oh, Gosh, that man is mesmerizing. Thinking of him, made me loosen my grip on Arsinoe. She broke free from my embrace and started running along the corridors.

"Hey! Arsinoe, come back! I'm gonna get in trouble for it." I started chasing after her, hoping that dad won't find out about this. Arsinoe was running like she was controled by some sort of magic. It was like she knew exactly where she was headed. I think we passed like thirteen corridors, until Arsione stoped in front of two massive double doors, locked by a security code.

"What are you doing here, Arsinoe? Let's return to the commanding room before we destroy something of importance around here." As I bent down to pick her up, my Ankh started heating up, emmanating some sort of golden light, much like dusk in the dessert. I swear this thing is cursed and I along with it! My head became lighter, my vision foggy. I couldn't feel my limbs. In one brief moment I collapsed on the cold floor, everything around me was engulfed in darkness.

* * *

"And what makes you better than them?" A tall, well-built man, with dark hair and green eyes,dressed in a Roman gown, around fifty two years of aged asked.

"I am my father's succesor. The people know that." The queen answered, a beautiful smile spreading across her face.

"The people, you say? The people can't wait to see you and every member of this dinasty fed to the crocodiles of the Great Nile. But, alas, it is late. We should not disscus such important matters so late at night. Go to bed!"

"Where? I cannot go to bed in the palace. If I am caught, my head will be in line with my feet. The only safe place for me to sleep is your bed." the soft reply of the queen was heard in the darkness.

"You're playing a dangerous game here. But I accept. Come." He started walking, their hands met in the darkness of the room and her beautiful face was again adorned by an evil smile, one which could not be seen by the scornfull eye hidden in the dark.

* * *

"So...that thing really has some power. It seems that there are some usefull people here on Midgard." I woke up to the sound of an unknown voice. I turned around, but there was no one there. The voice seemed to come out of nowhere. My head was throbbing. I slowly got up when suddenly the voice was back.

"I shouldn't have underestimated the power of your amulet. It is quite powerfull."

"Who are you?" my voice was shaking from the pain.

"I'm the one that they told you about...the one who stole the cube."

"L-Loki..yeah...You're name is Loki."

"That amulet is pretty strong...what does it show you?"

"I'm not telling you." I subornly yelled back.

"Hmm...mortals...as impertinent as ever. We'll meet again and when we do I want answers." And with that the voice was gone. I was bewildred. What was I supposed to do now? Tell everybody that I'm going crazy? I furiously grabbed the Ankh and yanked it away from my neck.

"It's all your fault that I'm having those visions!" I yelled throwing tha Ankh away.

"Who are you talking to?" I raised my head up just to find Black Widow holding my Ankh, looking at me with curious eyes. I must have looked like a demented person.

"It's nothing. Ignore me." I grabbed Arsinoe and walked away, when her hand grabbed mine. I turned around slowly, just as she was placing the Ankh back in my palm.

"You forgot this. Try not to lose it. It seems special." She gave me a suspicious look then walked away, entering the room where Loki was kept. I placed the Ankh in my pocket and left that strange corridor hoping I would not destroy something on the way.

As I was walking a strange voice entered my mind.

"Your body is your own temple of knowledge."

Wait a minute...I know that voice. It belongs to the woman in my dreams.

"Who is she, Arsione? Who am I?" My knees were growing weaker with each passing second and tears were threatening to fall. In the end my knees gave in and I fell, just to be caught by a strong pair of arms.

"Lady Cleopatra, is everything alright? Why are you crying?" Thor's voice was like a melody to my ears, but unfortunatelly I could not answer him. My body was working against me. The only thing I could do was cry as he picked me up and carried me to the lab.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter IV: Where there isn't love or hate, there isn't history

Cleo's POV:

"Lady Cleopatra, please calm down!" was the only thing Thor said to me on our way to the lab. Through the thick fog that clouded my mind I could understand his intentions, but I was too tired to try complying. When we came closer to the lab, I had already calmed down and I could hear an argument going on. Just as Thor entered, everyone stopped talking. I slowly raised my head and realized that all eyes where on me. My head was spinning, but I ignored it, pushing Thor away from me. He reluctantly let go, but kept close in case I would lose my balance.

"WOW, big guy! I always knew women had a thing for you, but this is a new record." Tony said. I stopped dead in my track,  
turned around and looked him dead in the eye.

"You listen here, Stark! I don't care who or what you are. I'm tired of you and your stupid remarks. They are useless and they just bring the morale of your team mates down. If you come off of your little cloud, you will understand."

"Oh...so the little lady has an opinion about me already."

" Stark, watch your words." the captain added. Before anyone could add anything else and argument had already started between the two. I could feel my headache getting worse so to spare myself the pain, I slowly retreated to the farthest corner of the room. I sat down followed close by Thor.

"Why do you follow me?" I asked after a moment of silence.

"I just want to make sure that you are safe, fair lady,but I can only feel like something is bothering you. Why were you crying earlier?" Thor answered/

"I'm sorry, Thor, but I do not want to talk about it."

"I understand."

"Hey, Thor...you say you're a god. Where do you come from and what is it like there?"

"My lady Cleopatra, I , indeed, am a god and I come from the land which is eternal Asgard. Everything there is magnificent. Nothing like you have seen here: massive, gold constructions, green gardens, golden apples, hanging gardens."

"You speak of a marvelous place..."

"Indeed I do, my lady."

"Please, call me Cleo."

"Cleo...this is a beautiful name."

"It's greek. The place you were taking about...Asgard...you said it had hanging gardens. Did you know that we had those too, in Babylon."

"Then I must surely see this Babylon you speak of. But I'm sure that they are not as great as those in Asgard. Ours are..." suddenly my head felt dizzy and my vision started to blur. I could no longer hear Thor, but instead I could hear the Nile.

* * *

"I hope I made myself clear, my love. You give me back my country, and I, in return will pay my brother's debts to Rome." the queen asked.

"Yes. You made yourself understood. Tomorrow morning you will be crowned along with your brother, Ptolemy, and your sister will be imprisoned."

"I'm glad we could negotiate, my love. I promise you, Egypt will not disappoint."

"I hope so..."

* * *

"Cleopatra!" Thor was shaking me while calling my name. My vision focused and I could see that everyone was in the lab, including my father.

"Cleo, what is wrong with you? You're not like this?" dad asked slightly annoyed.

"It's nothing. I'm just tired."

"No, she's not, the Black Widow said while entering the lab, it's that amulet." Oh, hell no! What have I gotten myself into!


End file.
